Adams, Chris (2002). Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo and the Bunnymen. New York: Soft Skull Press (published 1 July 2002). ISBN 1-887128-89-1. Hugh Jones was promoted from engineer to producer on the Bunnymen’s not-so-difficult second album, which went on to win Best Album and Best Dressed LP accolades at the NME Awards, and has a place in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, despite the band’s modest success Stateside. Allum, Simon (3 April 2006). "Incendiary interview Les Pattinson, part 2". Archived from the original on 13 May 2006 . Retrieved 12 May 2008. Crocodiles" is the debut album from Echo and the Bunnymen with two songs, "Pictures on My Wall" and "Rescue," on the album previously released as singles. This is quite an album. The music is described as post-punk and neo-psychdelic with imagery of darkness and sorrowfullness. Yes, that's all there. To me, the sound is sort of similar to Joy Division's "Closer" and Gang of Four. The band includes Ian McCulloch (singer), Will Sergeant (guitars), Les Pattinson (bass) and drummer Pete de Freitas whom they added after they signed to a label and were encouraged to add a drummer. One of the first things you notice is how prominent each of the band members are. They all make major to contributions to the songs and album as a whole. McCulloch's lyrics are dark and appear very personal. Given the imagery and personal nature leaves a lot of these songs open for interpretation. The lyrics and music match perfectly creating a great dark and somewhat haunting mood.

In 2018, Echo & the Bunnymen announced and released an album of reworked orchestral versions of older material and two new songs, titled The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon, to mixed reception. [44] Their fifth studio album, the self-titled Echo & the Bunnymen (1987), was recorded with Palmer, but when de Freitas returned in late 1986, it was largely re-recorded. [28] Released in mid-1987, the record sold well (UK No.4), and was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there. It is also significant as the final album to be recorded with the original lineup.Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 7): W-13 KD KODE 1 B-1 WITH FLOWERS A̶̷̲̅N̶̷̲̅D̶̷̲̅ IN THEIR HAIR "" ARUN Echo & the Bunnymen formed in 1978 and originally consisted of Ian McCulloch (lead vocals), Will Sergeant (lead guitar), Les Pattinson (bass) and a drum machine. They released their debut single, "The Pictures on My Wall", in May 1979 on the independent label Zoo Records. The band then signed with WEA subsidiary label Korova and were persuaded to employ a drummer. [4] Pete de Freitas subsequently joined the band, and in early 1980 they recorded their second single, "Rescue". The single was recorded at Eden Studios in London and produced by fellow Liverpudlian and ex-member of Big in Japan Ian Broudie. [5] The real gold on Ocean Rain can be found on The Killing Moon, the first single. Les Pattinson recalled, “Me and Will (Sergeant) had been in Russia for a holiday, and there was this band playing balalaikas in a hotel foyer, real cheesy cabaret.

There are references, too, to Hamburg and the Star-Club, where The Beatles served their apprenticeship, and to Corbijn’s native Netherlands, as well as Venice and Morocco. As daft and delightful as the song itself.But it was fantastic. We just started messing about and the next thing is we’ve got a chorus for The Killing Moon.” It’s John Carpenter’s The Fog! And then McCulloch, beneath a see-sawing lightshade moon, his face alternating between the light and the dark, impish and impossibly gorgeous (those lips), delivers his homily – “ The Killing Moon is more than just a song. It’s a psalm, almost hymnal,” he said in 2015 – remote as a spirit child spinning through the cosmos. Following a PR campaign that proclaimed it "the greatest album ever made" according to McCulloch, [25] 1984's Ocean Rain reached No.4, and today is widely regarded as the band's landmark album. [26] Single extracts " Silver" (UK No.30) and " Seven Seas" (UK No.16) consolidated the album's continued commercial success. In the same year, McCulloch had a minor solo hit with his cover version of the Kurt Weill standard " September Song". Favourite fingers, cavemen singing, fresher feeling, burning bridges, smashing mirrors – all strange life is here, as Ian McCulloch pronounces proudly, gladly on the refrain, “Seven seas/ Swimming them so well/ Glad to see/ My face among them/ Kissing the tortoise shell”. Following the departure of McCulloch and the death of de Freitas, Sergeant and Pattinson assembled a new line-up for the sixth album, featuring ex-St Vitus Dance frontman Noel Burke. Proof, if it were needed, that Mac was indispensable.

In March 2007, the Bunnymen announced that they had re-signed to Warner and were working on a new album. [35] The band were said to be planning a live DVD, titled Dancing Horses, which contained interviews with the band. This was released in May 2007 on Snapper/SPV. The live line up was Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Simon Finley (drums), Paul Fleming (keyboards), Gordy Goudie (guitar) and Steve Brannan (bass). [36] Cooper, Mark (1982). Liverpool Explodes!. Sidg. & J (published 30 September 1982). ISBN 0-283-98866-5. Ironically, Echo & the Bunnymen (frequently referred to as “the grey album”, though McCulloch prefers “the ‘loss of grey matter’ album”) gave them their biggest success in America. But Mac wasn’t alone in wondering, “Where was the Bunnymen we all loved?” Bell, Max (2003). Crocodiles (CD booklet). Echo & the Bunnymen. Warner Strategic Marketing. 2564-61161-2.Matrix / Runout (Side B, ' ̷B̷ ̷E̷ 84' is hand-etched - variant 3): R/S Alsdorf 58175 B3X ̷B̷ ̷E̷ 84 I think it's pretty obvious what I think. Noel Burke... the name says it all really doesn't it? No, that's not fair. It wasn't his fault, it was Will and Pete who were the berks really. But no, I thought it was disgraceful and after that I suppose it was quite surprising that I continued working with Will after that. I'm glad I did though. Johnny Marr called them Echo and the Bogusmen when that happened. [30] Christgau, Robert (30 March 1981). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 21 January 2013.

The only new single to be included on Echo & The Bunnymen’s singles compilation Songs To Learn & Sing, Bring On The Dancing Horses is a Russian proverb, a rough translation of which suggests that when things fall apart, why not have a bit of the circus in there as well? Like Seven Seas, it’s the Bunnymen at play with both words and melody. Higgs, John (2013). The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds. Phoenix. pp.38–39. ISBN 9781780226552. Though he did go on to say: “I found the material really heavy to play – really oppressive. That’s the only reason I didn’t like the album. The songs were great, but it didn’t make me happy.”It sounds so different. I wasn’t thinking chordally or the way I was used to writing songs, but by doing this it reminded me of Talking Heads. It reminded me of our early Bunnymen stuff, that kind of pulse,” he said. Echo & The Bunnymen’s eponymously titled fifth album (it was originally supposed to be titled The Game) would be their last for 10 years and also their final outing with drummer Pete de Freitas, who died two years later in a motorcycle accident, at the age of 27. On top of all this was McCulloch’s sombre, plaintive voice; a cosmic lounge style that owed plenty to Jim Morrison but also was perfect at delivering his lyrics filled with achingly romantic surrealism. “Villiers Terrace” uses such oblique poetry to give a perfect description of the hometown scene at the time. ‘There’s people rolling round on the carpet, mixing up the medicine’, indeed. Tangari, Joe (2 March 2004). "Echo and the Bunnymen: Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here / Porcupine / Ocean Rain / Echo & The Bunnymen". Pitchfork . Retrieved 5 May 2010. On their 1978 debut at Eric’s Club in Liverpool, Echo & the Bunnymen played a 20-minute version of Monkeys, which was entitled I Bagsy Yours at the time.